Why is There Church
A young man & friend were driving to a football game when they were hit by a semi. Both were knocked out and the car was thrown into the ditch. When the driver woke up, he realized he wasn’t too badly injured, but his friend was bleeding and in serious trouble. He knew his friend would die if he didn’t get help soon. He pulled him from the wreckage and up to the top of the hill.
Once there, he saw a building with a sign in front advertising a doctor’s clinic. He carried his friend there and banged on the door until a man answered. The man asked, “May I help you?” In disbelief, the driver said, “Can’t you see my friend’s in bad shape? Please save him!” The man at the door said, I’m sorry I can’t help you. I quit practicing medicine 5 years ago.” The driver looked at the man, his friend, the sign, and back at the man and said, “If you aren’t going to help anyone, then YOU SHOULD TAKE DOWN THE SIGN!!”
Millions of people today are broken and bleeding. In front of our churches we advertise a place of healing, but are we practicing what we advertise? We need to take a long, hard look at what we do as a body of believers, because we need to either practice what we say…or take down the sign. (Tony Evans)
Let me ask you. What is a church? How do we define church? I can tell you what church is not. The church is not a human institution. It doesn’t have it’s own agenda or set it’s own goals. It’s not an independent entity, surviving on strength of numbers. No, what the church is, is a body called into a special relationship with God. James 1:27 says we (the church) are called to be holy and blameless before God, and uncorrupted by the world.
One night at youth group, we were having a good discussion and Nikki asked me, “Why is there church?” and “Why are we supposed to go to church every Sunday?” Those are big questions and I’m going to try to answer them. To answer the second question first, let me ask you another question. How many here today feel the Bible is the infallible Word of God?
Church attendance is a priority because God commands it. At the time the book of Hebrews was written people felt, like too many do today, that they could worship God just as well at home as at church. Sure, we can, but why would God put this command in the Bible if He didn’t want us to follow it? God doesn’t give us useless commands.
As it says in Psalm 78, we need to impress upon the next generation the importance of church attendance and what it means to worship God. “We will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord and his might…”
Are we, as parents and role models, developing in our children a positive attitude toward attendance and worship? Are your children like the young man who told his mom that he didn’t want to go to church because the music was no good and the preacher was boring and long-winded? His mom told him, “That’s too bad. You’re the Pastor and you have to go.” What about when our kids tell us they don’t want to go to the doctor/dentist or school? Who’s in charge here, anyway? Kids don’t necessarily want what’s best for themselves, so we make them go anyway, because they NEED to. Same thing with church. We NEED to be in church, children AND adults.
And think about it. If your daughter wanted to learn to swim, would you have her take a correspondence course in swimming? Would you teach your son to drive by just having him read the owner’s manual? No! To learn to swim you gotta get in the water and to learn to drive you need to get behind the wheel and drive! You have to show up and participate! To get off the spiritual milk and get onto solid food you need to put into practice what you learn in church, which means attending church.
Another reason for attending church is safety. 20% of all fatal accidents occur in automobiles. 17% of all accidents occur at home. 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians. 16% of all accidents happen in planes, trains, or boats. .001% of all deaths occur in church and these are related to previous physical disorders. So the safest place to be anytime is in church. Go to church! It could save your life.
Now, besides needing someplace to “attend church”, we ask the question, “Why is there church?” Which is another way of asking, “What is the primary focus of church?” Is it worship? Fellowship? Teaching? Show off our new clothes? Potluck dinners? Meet well-known members of the congregation?
A woman living in Washington D.C. belonged to a church frequented by the president. One day she called the Pastor and asked him if he expected the president to be there on Sunday. He replied, “I can’t promise that, but I expect God to be there and I believe that should be sufficient incentive for attendance.”
Quiz
There is one other important reason why there is church. We, as “the church” are called to reveal God’s glory to the world. Eph. 1:12- “So that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ might live for the praise of his glory.” It is through our lives that His glory will be shown to the world.
I know what some of you are thinking. Oh no! He’s going to talk about that dreaded 4-letter word (GASP!) EVANGELISM! Yes I thought, on Evangelism Sunday, it might be appropriate to mention it. I guess you could say that the “soul” purpose of the church is evangelism. Did you know that the church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for its non-members?
Read portion of articles from Presbyterians Today (April ’02) and LP Herald-Argus. This reminds me of the joke: What do you get when you cross a Presbyterian and a Jehovah’s Witness? Someone, who stands at the door and knocks, but doesn’t say anything. We think evangelism is going door-to-door or standing on the street corner spreading the Good News.
This preacher got on the bus to go downtown. After sitting down, he noticed that the driver had given him a quarter too much in change. He wondered what he should do. After all, it’s only a quarter, he figured. By the time he reached his stop, he knew what he had to do. Telling the driver he had given him too much change, he gave the quarter back. The driver asked him, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town?” “Yes”, came the reply. “Well, I’ve been thinking about going to church but I wasn’t sure. So I gave you extra change to see what you’d do. I’ll see you Sunday.” THAT’S EVANGELISM! God’s glory was revealed through the simple act of doing the right thing.
Do people see Jesus in us? If we were put on trial as Christians, would there be enough evidence to convict us? Remember those headless plywood frames painted to resemble a muscle man, bathing beauty, or a clown? We’d have our pictures taken and laugh because the head didn’t match the body. Picture Christ as the head and us as the body. Is the world laughing at the misfit?
Suppose a doctor discovers a cure for aids. But before it can be made available to the world, other doctors must be made aware of it and trained to use it. The cure is there but one person can’t do it; an army of doctors must be the agents to take it to the world.
That’s exactly what the church is to Jesus. All people and nations are to be reconciled to Jesus but before that can happen, they need to know about Jesus. Christ is the head; the church is the body. That is our job, as the church. We are literally the hands to do Christ’s work, feet to run His errands, and voices to speak His words. Some are called to be the voices, some the hands, some the feet. Evangelism is doing Christ’s work, regardless of how we do it. Let your light shine!
So, Nikki, “Why is there church?” can be answered many different ways. There is church because we are a place of refuge and healing. There is church because we need the teaching to grow spiritually, to get off the milk and onto solid food. There is church because we need the encouragement and support we get from the fellowship. There is church so we can go out as Christ’s body to reveal God to the world. There is church so we can gather together to worship the God who created us. But mainly, there is church because God said so. And we need to be obedient to God, because when we obey God, we become centered in God’s grace. When we’re centered in God’s grace, everything else falls into place. And what better place to be than in God’s grace, in church, as the church.
